1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a household laundry dryer and more specifically to a lint collection basket for a lint handling system of a dryer.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the most common problems with household laundry dryers is the lint handing system. Most dryers include a removable lint screen through which lint laden air exiting the dryer is directed to pass. This screen acts as a filter and removes the lint from the exiting air to avoid undesirable lint discharge through the dryer exhaust.
Unfortunately, clogging of the lint screen can lead to poor drying performance and dangerous operating conditions. Accordingly, the operator of the dryer must manually remove the lint screen and frequently clean it, in some case after every dryer cycle. This lint screen cleaning task can become tedious and cause inconvenience to the user. As a result, attempts have been made to improve the lint handing system to provide a lint storage system such that the operator of the dryer does not have to frequently remove and clean a lint screen.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,555 discloses a lint separator which includes an air swifter to separate lint from the exhaust air flow and a transport tube connected tangentially to the swirler to receive the separated lint and carry it to a disposable lint collection filter bag. Periodically, the lint bag is replaced with a new filter bag. While this system eliminates the need for frequent lint screen cleaning, it has the disadvantage of requiring the purchase of disposable lint storage bags. This system also does not lend itself to a simple visual system for indicating when the lint bag needs to be replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,004 discloses a drawer-like screen assembly disposed along the base of a dryer. The screen assembly includes an inclined perforate top wall portion wherein during operation lint laden air flow from a centrifugal blower is directed against the bottom surface of the inclined top wall portion. The lint is therefore swept downward along the inclined perforate top wall portion and compacted in the narrow end of the lint screen assembly. The screen assembly includes a handle and may be withdrawn periodically for cleaning. This system is relatively costly and inconvenient to access. Moreover, relatively high speed air flow must be supplied into the screen assembly in order for the lint to be swept toward the narrow end of the screen assembly. Supplying a high volume of air flow into a lint screen assembly has several disadvantages such as extruding lint through the perforations of the screen.